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Monday, July 6, 2009

Good News from Iran

Posted by Brendan Kiley on Mon, Jul 6, 2009 at 12:56 PM

From the WSJ:

Some members of Iran's powerful clerical class are stepping up their antigovernment protests over Iran's election in defiance of the country's supreme leader, bringing potential aid to opposition figures as the regime is increasingly labeling them foreign-sponsored traitors.

An influential group of religious scholars seen as politically neutral during the presidential election called the country's highest election arbiter, the Guardian Council, biased, and said the June 12 election was "invalid." Earlier, it had endorsed the official result that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad defeated Mir Houssein Mousavi and other challengers by a wide margin.

The group, with no government role, has little practical ability to change the election outcome. But its new posture may carry moral weight with Iranians after security forces have quashed street protests and jailed hundreds of opposition supporters. It highlights a growing unease among Iran's scholarly ruling class about the direction of the country, and questions the theological underpinning of the Islamic Republic: that the supreme leader and the institutions under him are infallible.

Yes, the metaphor is historically and culturally and theologically jagged, but in broad strokes—once the cardinals stop believing the pope speaks ex cathedra, goodbye divine right of kings (and divine anointings masquerading as sham elections) and hello reform and revolution.

UPDATE

The strike is on. (I mean, the Iranians, not the Israelis.)

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Comments (9) RSS

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1
We can only hope. But there will have to be a price. Maybe too high.
Posted by Vince on July 6, 2009 at 12:59 PM
2
The WSJ is exaggerating the significance. It is important, yes. But "The Qom assembly is a pro-reform group with limited political influence."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jul…
Posted by Trevor on July 6, 2009 at 1:08 PM
3
pls.

1. the Roman Catholic Cardinals didn't stop believing in the pope and thus goodbye divine rights and revolution didn't come from the disbelief of the Catholic cardinals. Total history fail.

2. Can we pleeeeeeze stop trying to see everything in Iran as a reflection of the west?

it's pretty cultural imperialist and this is something from the alt media up with which we shall not put!
Posted by PC on July 6, 2009 at 1:13 PM
4
People are people and their hopes and dreams don't change just because of where they live. History replays itself because people are the constant. What works in governance works because the people know they ultimately have the final say. What doesn't work is taking that say away. East or West, North or South. It's not cultural imperialism to recognise our humanity.
Posted by Vince on July 6, 2009 at 1:25 PM
5
Thanks for bringing back the real news. MJ's recent death showed me that even though celebrity journalism has taken over the news, people still know nothing about celebrities.
Posted by Amelia on July 6, 2009 at 1:27 PM
6
PC: I qualified the metaphor as rough and inaccurate—historically, culturally, theologically. So what's your question?
Posted by Brendan Kiley on July 6, 2009 at 1:39 PM
7
Brendan: Thanks for keeping up with the coverage.

There is going to be a rally at 6pm on Thursday at Westlake, to show our solidarity with the Iranians who are going to be out in the streets once again to commemorate the 18 Tir Massacre.

Everyone who supports democracy, and the right to peaceably protest without the fear of violence, please come. And bring your friends.

More info here: http://www.nwpersians.com/events/18tir09…
Posted by Free Iran! on July 6, 2009 at 2:45 PM
Will in Seattle 8
Meanwhile more people died in China from repression but nobody noticed ...
Posted by Will in Seattle http://www.facebook.com/WillSeattle on July 6, 2009 at 3:04 PM
Gomez 9
It's one clerical class out of many of them. The Ayatollah can just ignore them, and the other ruling clerical classes can simply override them if they disagree with said class (which it appears many of them do).
Posted by Gomez http://gomezticator.livejournal.com on July 6, 2009 at 8:47 PM

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